[♪ theme music ♪] >> john: this is the "stephanie miller show" on current tv. good morning i'm john fugelsang filling in for stephanie all morning. and it's time to go over to jacki schechner at the current news room west coast. good morning, jacki. >> good morning, john. good morning, everybody. just moments ago the president and first lady gathered on the

south lawn to honor a moment of silence in honor of the september 11th attacks. this afternoon president obama will head to walter reid medical senator where he will meet with wounded warriors and their families. both mitt romney and paul ryan have released statements in commemoration of this tragedy. romney promises we as a nation will never forget paul ryan extends his gratitude to the military and mentions first responders who are still suffering in new york. federal health officials have added 58 new types of cancer to the list of covered illnesses for those exposed to toxins at ground zero. coverage for treatment and care is available to first responders

within 30 days. the port authority and september 11th memorial foundation has reached a deal to complete the museum at ground zero. the two agencies have reached an impasse over both who will paid for the museum and who will oversee it. better coordination between the two parties, and an advisory committee that would hammer out additional disputes between the two parties. a lot of people at play here. so you got a lot of political people coming together and a lot of money at stake.

we'll be back with more show after the break. stay with us. ♪ [ train whistle blows ] [ ball hitting paddle ] [ orbit girl ] don't let food hang around. yeah! [ orbit trumpet ] clean it up with orbit! [ orbit glint ] fabulous! for a good clean feeling. try new orbit micro packs. health matters to all of us. that's why lysol has started a mission for health. with new mom programs, lysol healthy habits initiatives in schools and disaster relief efforts. when you use lysol at home, you'll know you're a part of something bigger. for healthy tips and more, visit

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from silver screens... to flat screens... twizzlerize your entertainment everyday with twizzlers the twist you can't resist. >>i jump out of my skin at people when i'm upset. they're doing this this corruption based on corruption based on corruption. >>that's an

understatement, eliot. [♪ theme music ♪] >> announcer: ladies and gentlemen, it's the "stephanie miller show"! ♪ i'm walking on sunshine woe ho ♪ ♪ i'm walking on sunshine, woe ho ♪ ♪ it's time to feel good, hey all right now ♪ ♪ it's time to feel good ♪ >> john: this is the "stephanie miller show." tuesday september 11, 2012. i'm john fugelsang filling in for stephanie all week long.

can you come up with some special music for today's costar. [♪ dramatic music ♪] >> john: i'm proud to welcome from mystery science theater, one of my favorite comedians and comic writers do we have music ready, please welcome frank conniff. >> thank you. it's good to be there. >> john: that you. is that the music you had ready toni? >> thank you. >> john: thank for being had. it's always a tricky proposition inviting comedians to come on a show on this particular day, but i'm really i get to be here today as an new yorker and someone who lives a few blocks away from where the tower is and where the new tower stands and

i think 9/11 is a day where whatever anyone feels is valid. solidity, gradtive reverence, joy, and if you are someone who respects the day, but it doesn't really have an impact on you, that's valid as well. >> yeah, i think any huge tragedy like that reminds us how tragic life is and things can change in a second for anybody. any day that you are healthy and -- and you are not being hurt in any way, and you are making it through the day is kind of -- you know you have got to take a moment to treasure that. >> john: i agree. and one of the things i want to ask the folks out there in

stephland at 1-800-steph-1-2, what does 9/11 mean to you. both governor romney and president obama are suspending negative ad for one day. >> if one of them said i'm not going to do any more negative ads, that would be a bigger thing. >> john: that's true. i know there's a strong desire to not criticize the two, yet it there is still a strong urge to criticize president busch. the "new york times" has a article called the deafness before the storm. and i think -- >> he was clearing brush -- >> john: he was and bin laden determined to attack the u.s. -- >> yes, and one of his many vacations and also if you

remember the summer leading up to 9/11 the big story was gary condit and the shark attack. >> >> john: that's right. >> and we're back -- in terms of the media i think we're back in that state of mind where it's still a lot of trivial stuff and the really important things that we should be concerned about aren't getting through. the difference now with the internet now there is a lot more sources of information about things. >> john: there's no way to overstate how 9/11 has changed america, and yet you can also make the argument that we haven't changed. maybe we need something for the other side of our brain to balance out the heaviness. >> we have changed in mostly bad

ways it seems. >> john: i don't know about that as someone who lives in downtown manhattan. a lot of us which the iraq war had never happened, but i think had 9/11 not hand, they would have found a way to have the iraq war anyway. you could make the argument that thanks to the work of our troops, and this president, that terrorism has been neutralized more than ever. >> but we don't have hab us corpus now. >> there's that too. for me it is a day that always will remind when people are screaming which side are you on with us or the terrorists. i like to say i'm on the side of anyone who is trying to solve the problems peacefully.

>> right. any -- any religion that wants to end violence is fine as long as it's christian. that's your point. >> john: yes as long as it's christian. because violence is okay when my side does it. not religion is responsible hard core right-wing fundamentalists are responsible. >> right. >> john: we see it -- we saw it 11 years ago with the predominantly saudiw terrorists. america was attacked by zero iraqi, and zero afghans.

>> yes and the worst attack happened with box cutters. >> john: that's right. and condy rice was the national security secretary. >> right. >> john: and the only person that got fired was bill maher. >> yes, and the guy that was speaking the truth was bill -- >> john: that's right. >> he is in jail for other reasons but he was vilified as were people like jeanine graffalow and a lot of people speaking out against the war as we were gearing up to go there. those people were portrayed as loons, and crazy people, and they are still portrayed that day. the people who told us that there were weapons of mass

destruction and all of these things that were not true their careers have flourished since then. >> john: no one in power suffered any consequences. so if you want to be angry that's great, gratitude or sorrow, those are great. this to me is a day to remember those who lost their lives, the survivors and all of our troops around the world. >> uh-huh. and they have taken up so much of the burden -- it's especially -- you know in any -- conflict we should remember the troops but they have gone again and again and again to iraq and afghanistan, that it's just -- and most of our society has -- has been kind of shelters from all of that. it is the troops who have taken it all upon themselves.

so we can't do enough for them in terms of giving them benefits and helping them -- >> john: i always think of the troops on this day and i think of the people who were children who were too young to appreciate it then, kids who lost their parent, the people of manhattan and washington, d.c. i think about people who died that day that i knew like barbara who was on the plane that hit the pentagon, and she was always a debating adversary for me on tv. it really reminded me when she died that day, how our commonalities so out weigh our differences. we do share a common humanity and that's something i want to celebrate today, and it's a day for joy, a day to remember the

living, be grateful that we're all still here and have this time together. and we want to know what you think. please feel free to call us up at 1-800-steph-1-2, and tell us what america has learned today. we do have some really good guests today mr. conniff. it's not just you. >> i always assume it is just all about me. >> john: it is all about you especially in the universe. but we have charlie pierce tina dupuis, and if you listen to sean hannity's show you know [ inaudible ] cleans shawn's clock with complete politeness and great. rick unger has been in the headlines a lot lately because

he wrote a piece that showed that barack obama has overseen the slowest growth in government spending of any president since dwight eisenhower. >> wait a minute, that sounds like a fact to me. >> john: the slowest growth of any president since the 1950s. it seems hard and yet it is completely true. and he has taken a lot of grief for this piece. but we want to know what you think. jim from new jersey welcome. jim in new jersey? jim? hi jim. tony -- i was told the phones were fixed from yesterday. i was told the phones were fixed. this is funny. all right. we'll go to break then while the

phones are fixed. welcome to public access. >> i have a yard sale this weekend. >> john: so on this day of never forget please forget that happened. we do want to know what you think. and conservative, republican, liberal, you're all welcome to join in today. we're all friends today. i'm john fugelsang this is the "stephanie miller show" on your radio, on your computer and by god on current tv. >> who is responsible for these outrages? >> announcer: it is the "stephanie miller show." ♪

>>(narrator) bill press is on current tv. >>liberal and proud of it. >>(narrator) unafraid, outspoken, and above all politically direct. flag from 6 to 9 every morning. [ music ]

♪ something's going to get you, going to knock you right on the head ♪ ♪ you better get yourself together ♪ ♪ pretty soon you're going to be dead ♪ >> john: this is the "stephanie miller show," broadcasting live from burbank california. i'm john fugelsang, really pleased to be with you here for the entire week. philling in for steph while she is taking a much-deserved break. joined by frank conniff. and tony is on the mic. we're taking your calls all day at 1-800-steph-1-2. we're remembering 9/11 today. there is also a lot of other news we want to talk about.

one of those topics is this gentlemen in florida, who is the proprietor of big apple pizza. you saw the picture of him picking up the president and bear hugging him yesterday. he is a republican and he is a registered republican voted for obama has many republicans do in 2008, is voting for barack obama again this year, as many republicans are, because really -- why not? >> some republicans have common sense. >> john: well, if you are a republican and your choices are barack obama or mitt romney dot, dot, dot -- >> it's also good to know that there is a sensible republican pizza. we had a bad one with herman cain. >> john: that's true. i'm like many comedians still in

a state of mourning that he is not the nominee. and if he would have been mitt romney's vp i would have donated to the super pac. but of course the cain trainen went off of the tracks because the conductor couldn't stop chasing caboose. he got to attend every debate whereas gary johnson, the two-time elected governor of mexico invited to two debates. >> yeah, that's outrageous. and the fact that herman cain offered him some coupons that

didn't help. [ laughter ] >> john: you are right we have this republican who seems like a nice enough guy and voted for obama, so there was this great photo, he actually asked the secret service can i hug the president. >> i wondered about that because yeah i would think the secret service would be all over there. >> john: yeah his name is scott van duger. i hope i am pronouncing that. he asked if he could hug him, but i don't know if he asked if he could lift the president up. it was a great picture. obama is a tall guy -- he is 6 foot right. >> one of the secret service men said to obama, i would take a pepperoni for you. [ laughter ] >> john: where is why i'm

bringing him up on his yelp page for big apple pizza -- i walk in and they always say good afternoon sir, can i help you today, and i always say you are full of crap, you are not new york style pizza you are polite to me. buzz his yelp page out there was besieged by right-wingers, all gives it a one star review and the rationale was well liberals said this over chick-fil-a, so we're doing the same thing here. >> but where was the intolerant thing here? >> john: exactly. >> and these republicans who are

probusiness. >> john: that's right. john kathy say people don't have the right to marry who they want in a free society. and the supporters said fine we're not going to eat at your restaurant. >> that's right. >> john: and again, if you are a republican and you are turned off that this guys is a traitor by actually respecting the president of your country, that's fine, you have a right, but i do feel bad for the guy. so today when you are at work if you are bored and uninspired go to yelp check out the page for big apple pizza, in [ inaudible ], florida. and nobody from forth pierce.

knoxville, beverly hills, this is all people from around the country -- >> as a republican he is trying to serve pizza in a crazy bread world. [ laughter ] >> john: indeed he is. if you want to go to yelp give him some love and let him know that you are there for peace and pizza. you don't have to lie and say you were actually there. these people in san francisco it tastes like cardboard. come on. and if you are in fort pierce go on in by going to this guy's restaurant, by going to big apple pizza, you are supporting democrats and republicans. >> and pizza. >> john: and pizza. and that's what really matters, and that's what united us all.

we'll be right back on the "stephanie miller show." 1-800-steph-1-2. we're on current tv. ♪ tell you a story. in colorado the auto rescue saved more than 9,000 jobs. in the great state of michigan, 211,000 good paying, american jobs! in romney's world, cars get the elevator, and the workers get the shaft! (vo) want more granholm? get her every night.

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[ ♪ music ♪ ] >> john: this is the "stephanie miller show," and you are listening to a song by bruce springsteen played by president barack obama immediately after his address. this is "we take care of our own" by bruce springsteen from "wrecking ball" for my money one of the finest albums of the year. >> really. >> john: oh listen. this is his best album ever. it is a terrific record.

>> what is this guy's name. >> john: his name is bruce springsteen. he is an older gentlemen. he is 63, and he is apparently doing quite well for himself. >> good for him. >> john: this is to me an album that makes you really proud to be an american without a lot of flag waving. it's my country right and wrong, with all of the sins and dark spots, that's part of our national fabric and struggle to be a better america. >> john, stop apologizing for america. [ laughter ] >> john: that was one of polititfacts top lies of the year, that barack obama was on an apology record. barack obama has never once apologized for america, but millions of americans have had to apologize for bush.

>> that's true. >> john: i'm very proud to bring our guest on rick unger, who for my money one of the best guys in broadcasting. he has made a lot of noise on the twitter sphere this year on how barack obama has overseen the lowest spending in government since dwight eisenhower. so rick unger, welcome to the show. >> thank you, john. can i start with apologizing for mitt romney. [ laughter ] >> i have been watching you on current. i now have two observations, one i like how you are wearing the ear buds so you don't mess up

the hair. very nice touch. and secondly that build up you gave me as unnerved me completely. >> john: good then we're all off our game. i am wearing my a-train t-shirt for brooklyn. and the ear buds is because i'm here for three hours and those big once are expensive, and i don't want my hairpiece to come off. [ laughter ] >> rick ungar it is great to have you on the air. i just want to take a second to give you praise. because people in stephland have lives unlike me, so they didn't listen to the sean hannity show. you not only listen to it you

go on his show and i sat with you once while you were on that show, and i was amazed at how you never once got negative with him. you kept it positive the entire time while assaulting him with -- a facts i think is the word i'm looking for. >> it's a dirty job to tell you the truth. >> john: but you get along with him, right? >> i have never talked to him -- >> john: is he a real person or is he hologram two pac. >> that's a good question. because i have never actually laid eyes on him. >> it's hard to prove that fox is reality. >> i think as you know, it's important to do these things. it's one thing for us all to sit

around and tell each other you're right and come up with -- >> you are so right about that. >> you have to engage and hopefully have a meaningful conversation and not get angry, and hopefully giving people listening something to agree about. >> john: i think you are right. prerogatives really, really need to be mindful of the difference between outrage and anger. >> exactly right. your piece on forbes i'm so impressed by -- >> that generated a little bit of anger, didn't it. >> john: it did. but facts are really tricky things. the name of the page is "who is the smallest government spender since eisenhower? would you believe it's barack

obama." i can only imagine how sean hannity responded to. >> it's interesting. he has not called me to be on to discussion this article. >> john: really? >> really. >> john: wow it's almost like he is a little intimidated to facts. >> it might just be they haven't had a slot who knows. >> john: the left-wing think tank reported that he has been more tight with a buck since any president since eisenhower. can you explain what it means for guys like me who went to public school? >> yeah, it was kind of interesting, because when i wrote this piece i did not see it as such a big deal. i honestly didn't. who knew it would turn out the way it did. but basically what this does is compare an annualized growth rate. how much on a percentage basis

is barack obama spending as compared to the last year or the term of the president before him? so as you do this on an annualized basis, what you find out is the percentage increase is really quite small, and not only is it small as you look at how presidents have, you know, turned it over going back to president eisenhower we see this is actually the smallest increase in spending of any of those presidents. it's not the only way to analyze this, and i think that's what is freaking people out. obviously we spend more money now than when eisenhower was president. but every president spends more than their predecessor. so we know he's spending more, but on a percentage basis how much more? and it turns out he is doing

pretty well. >> john: when i think of eisenhower i think of a guy who was a republican who knew we were rebuilding after world war ii who spent a lot. i think of the interstate highway program -- >> yeah, and like a 90% tax rate. >> john: that's the other factor. we don't have a deficit problem in america we have a revenue problem. i always thought of eisenhower as being a pretty big spender. is that correct? >> that's probably a fair statement, but if you look at what he was spending on we have reaped the benefits of that for many years. unfortunately, some of the great things that eisenhower did have fallen in to total and complete disrepair. our roads are crumbling, our bridges are scary. we haven't spent the money we needed to spend to make the

improvements, and if you want to know why look at the infrastructure bill that the president proposed and the republicans refused to accept. >> john: i think real republicans female like i would rather have my tax dollars help people's infrastructure over here than to help folks over there. >> and how patriotic is to obstruct everything and not be willing to make legislation happen that would help americans? >> it obviously has been unfortunate. hopefully, should the president will returned for four more years, the republicans won't see the benefit in that and will help the president. i wouldn't be so quick to think todd akin.

i got to tell you. i think he can still win that race. >> john: no? >> yes, and that should upset you. this guy may have known what he was doing when he refused to back out. >> john: how is so? >> he is looking pretty good in the polls. >> john: how is he fund-raising? >> just how he is doing in the polls. >> john: but what is wrong with those people of missouri? for those that you don't remember, todd akin said on a tv interview, talking about abortion that he is against allowing abortion in cases of rape because if a woman is raped if she becomes pregnant she has ways of shutting that pregnancy down. >> and he introduced us to the

phrase of legitimate rape. >> john: that's right. >> and he -- like did you see when bob barker came out and said to prevent overpopulation of animals, make sure your pets are spade neutered or raped. [ laughter ] >> now you have gone too far when you start picking on bob barker. >> john: rick you point out that barack obama's first fiscal year 2009 was a bush budget. and a lot of people still want to blame him for that. >> and it even gets better than that, because if you look at the now thousands of comments that were left to this article, everybody wants to say you are not including the stimulus. if you look at the chart that is published, it clearly says that the stimulus was reassigned to

barack obama. >> john: uh-huh. >> it was included. you always learn something when you have a reaction, and what i have learned from this article, is people will believe what they want to believe, facts be damned. >> john: you are exactly right. and when i posted this article, i was amazed at how many right-wingers wrote in to say the stimulus cost more than the iraq and afghanistan wars combined. >> and how it is that all of these republicans who spent like drinking sailors during the bush administration like paul ryan can even have a reputation as deficit hawks. >> john: that's a good question. >> yeah, there's always a few things i say about that. one, i'm actually in the camp of

let's get past bush. it happened. whatever happened happened -- >> john: i don't want to be in that camp. i want to blame bush. >> i went to blame bush camp this summer actually. [ laughter ] >> but paul ryan, now there is a subject i do like talking about. >> john: please. >> this man is a fiscal fraud. he sells himself as this -- whatever the heck it is he is selling himself as, ed i will munster with an accounting degree -- [ laughter ] >> he sells himself as being mr. fiscal responsibility and you look at his voting record, and he has voted for every bill that he now gets in front of the tv cameras and says he never voted for. >> john: that's right. >> he voted for tarp. >> john: he voted for tarp and

requested stimulus funds. >> and he also requested funs from bomb, bomb bomb obamacare. >> john: that's right. if you are a republican why would you trust your money to republicans? >> well, it's an interesting comment. they have sold themselves for so long as the party of fiscal stability, and yet we look at the records, i know that's uncomfortable, we look at the facts, and this is just not the case. it isn't now. >> john: rick do you think there has been some fallout after his paul ryan's speech? >> yeah and what is interesting is, i think it would have faded -- convention speeches are

like that. we have a reaction to them for a week, and they fade. but he keeps doing it -- >> john: not jennifer grandholm, that was the best speech of the convention. >> yeah not your buddy. but he got creamed on sunday morning. i don't know why he hasn't figured it out that this is an approach that is going to work out very well. >> he is not an experienced politician on a national stage -- >> yeah, but he is also not stupid. there are people telling him, you have got to stop this stuff, we also have fact checkers. >> john: yeah, but hiring good advisors in the romney campaign hasn't been one of their strong

points. >> hasn't there strategy just been to lie and just assume and hope -- because mitt romney has been lying for the entire campaign. >> yes, but at this point the media as more than picked up on it. there was a story in the l.a. times just blowing this out. >> for instance david brooks portrayed paul ryan as one of the few serious politicians in washington, who is serious about cutting any deficit. >> well it's true if you are serious about an balanced budget in the year 2040. >> john: paul ryan to me reminds me of a comic who spills jokes. he is only used to speaking to people who aren't really exposed to a lot of other facts and

don't question him. and now he is getting more scrutiny. if you are a young comic stealing jokes, no one may notice, but once you get on tv, and you are still stealing jokes, you are going to get caught. >> i suppose. >> he is the carlos mancia of national politics. [ laughter ] >> john: rick what does this day mean to you? >> i was out of the country during 9/11. i was in mexico. and we woke up and i flipped on cnn and it had a profound impact on me. i ended up living in mexico for seven years at that very place where i was. at some point we can talk about what happened to me last year on 9/11. >> john: i would love to have

you back. i was at the word trade center last year, but it sounds like you self deported. you are on twitter, right? >> i am at ungar. >> john: thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you. it was fun. >> john: we'll be talk taking your calls when we return on the "stephanie miller show." >> a beautifully glossy wrapped show. >> announcer: it's the "stephanie miller show." ♪

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what the current audience can expect from my show is the unexpected. >>stephanie miller challenges the system, now it's your turn. >>it's a little bit of magic. >>connect with "talking liberally with stephanie miller" at facebook.com/stephaniemillershow and on twitter at smshow. [ ♪ music ♪ ]

>> john: this is the "stephanie miller show." i'm john fugelsang filling in for stephanie. you are listening to the roots, featuring john legends, the song is called "the fire," and we played it yesterday, and it was so well received i thought i would play some more of the roots today. >> sounds great. >> john: i always say if you are a really lame white person like mow, and you want to find great hip hop to get into you have old political black eyed peas

before they made the pack with satan and brought on fergie. i know a lot of you have been on hold for a while, and thank you so much for calling in. we're trying to find a mutual respect for both parties. and one of them is the [ inaudible ] church. every year on this date the revoltingly fake christians at the church go down and demonstrate at the world trade center with some very offensive signs like thank god for 9/11. and rebecca phelps is one of these horrible people and she just tweeted a verse from aim os

staying god through down the towers.hd

ime. anybody? anybody? what time is it? oh, right. go time! ♪

♪ [ inaudible ] ♪ ♪ come on up on the horizon, come on up with me tonight ♪ >> john: bruce springsteen one of the best albums for the past 11 years now. we're go grateful you are spending this day with us. when i realized i was going to be filling in for stephanie on this particular day. i thought i want to get people who have funny and have soul and can keep both balls in the air at the same time.

and i'm so grateful to be joins by frank conniff, and kerry. i read the "new york times" article, and it's great to see your show getting the recognition it deserves. >> yeah, it is fun. it is fun talking to comics about -- you know deep stuff. >> john: yeah, i got more good feedback on the interview i did with you than just about everything i did. you get these comedians on and you just go to the root of their souls and make them get deep and sometimes it's dramatic and times it is comedic.

but you are doing a great thing. >> thank you, i think it helps that i have a psychology degree. >> john: going is going to come adjust you -- >> oh, thank you tony. please adjust me. >> john: yes. your show is called "waking from the new york dream" because of your dad's two best albums -- >> i think it is on life is worth losing. >> john: terrific. >> we should point out that her dad is shecki green. his name is shecki carlin originally. >> i have two radio shows going

on one is my podcast, and then on sirius the name is the kelly carlin showy is really original. >> it suit you. >> i remember i was sitting in the audience at the becan theater when he said that line. he never let me see his material before, and i just thought damn there he goes again, poetic and brilliantly encompasses the whole psyche of america in one line, and that line really did affect me, and i ended up -- actually i was going to do a documentary with that tight 8, and started working on that in

2008, and then my dad died and my whole life went ahhhhh. and things happened. so i was glad i god to do that line, waking from the american dream. it's a different time different century. >> john: for a lot of folks today the dream is just surviving. >> absolutely. and how do we refashion the dream in such a way that everyone gets a chance at it and it's not going to kill the planet at the same time. >> john: i wish your dad more than ever, i wish he was here for this particular campaign. because one of the great tragedies is he didn't get to enjoy mitt romney. >> oh mitt romney and everyone else. >> john: tony is jest tick

lating to me. >> republicans. government's so small it can fit in your vagina. (vo) featuring stephanie miller and friends, in the funniest political comedy tour in america. >> fox news is like a mecca for (vo) with exclusive, behind the scenes footage. >> it is a movement. (vo) don't miss stephanie miller"s sexy liberal comedy tour. >> i'm going to go cop some cheap feels.

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>> john: -- he began it by serving the opening piece of peace on earth. i saw them twice on that tour in may in anaheim. and that album really, really came to be the music that got a lot of people through a really tough time. >> yeah, it did. >> john: i have a tweet that said loved kelly carlin. and got to see her show. >> yes. i tell a story of the ups and downs and crazy of the love from the carlin family. >> john: when i first met you it was a spoken word show.

i always thought that your dad would be dazzled by the fearlessness that you talked about your dad. >> yeah, this is actually a bone of contention before my dad and i. he was uncomfortable his autobiographical things. he had a lunch once and i had done a one-woman show made him uncomfortable, and in 2006 i started writing again, and told him about the spoken word stuff, and told him i was doing a memoir. and he said kelly people start off auto by graphical and then they move on. and i got home and thought i know what i should have said, i

don't know richard pryor ever moved on, dad. [ laughter ] >> john: that's true. you made him as uncomfortable as he made the status quo. >> so he was auto bigraphical when he was doing the hippy dippy man. [ laughter ] >> john: i saw some footage of your dad once sitting next to a cardboard cutout of himself saying that guy was me, but it wasn't me, but i was playing someone that was me. and that's how i felt. your dad was why i got into american standup, was of the

gulf war. where george h.w. bush actually said we exercised the ghosts of vietnam. really, george all 50,000 of them. i was not a fan of saadam hussein, but it was seen by iraq as the green light. the government hired a pr firm to sell the war. kuwait is still not a free country. i remember the victory parade and there was a group of clergy that were praying silently. whitney houston lip syncing the

national anthem. and i was dragged by my friends to go see george carlin in rhode island. and he walked onstage and began with a 20-minute riff on the iraq war. opened with fury and i can't repeat most of the jokes on set, but really -- i walked out of there, and i thought an artist jest made me feel like i was less alone. and that's what stephanie miller does every morning uses humor to remind sane people that they are not crazy. >> i was doing comedy during the first gulf war in minneapolis in the midwest, and there were a lot of comedians who were the

opposite -- they were doing pro war getting on the bandwagon about how we were talking the people who work in 7 eleven. so that was the climate then. the hack comedians and a lot of them were going pro war stuff. >> john: yes and then talking about what great christians they are. how would your dad handle america today? >> i don't know. the thing i loved about my dad was he always surprised me. i would think i would know what take he was going to do on something, and he would come from an angle that no one thought about before. he would rail against the normal crazies out there, and remind us that once again these people are all in a club, and we're not in it, and we have a front seat to the freak show --

>> john: that's one of my favorite lines. >> when you are board in america you have a front seat to the freak show. >> john: and some of us forget and join the freak show. >> and some of us are lucky enough to take notes and talk about it, which is kind of like what the three of us get to do. >> john: exactly. ann in michigan you are on the "stephanie miller show." >> caller: hi, thank for taking my call. >> john: thanks for calling. >> caller: yeah, i was listening to the show all morning, and one of the things i want to say is i was -- i was scheduled to do [ inaudible ] on that dreadful sunday that followed and what i was reminded of, including [ inaudible ] was that we are a

nation we think we are indevincible, and arrogant. >> john: uh-huh. >> caller: i don't think we deserved what we got, but just saying that this is going to happen, and nobody paid at attention because oh we're invincible. >> john: you are talking about the warnings that the bush administration received and the presidential daily briefings that bin laden was going to attack? >> caller: yep. and i don't think we have changed. and [ inaudible ] living in a nation of fear that the republicans have built up. i think the republicans are all lying. they -- i -- >> john: i wouldn't say they are all lying ann. there are good republicans out there. we don't agree with them but there are good folks out there -- >> they aren't alive now, but --

>> john: ann i'm afraid we have a terrible connection, it sounds like you are underwater being smothered by pillows, but thank you for your call. 9/11, i think it changed our society, but it brought out the best for many people. i think a lot of us have carried it with us and tried to be better as the years went by. kelly how did it affect your father? >> well, first of all, it's his city. that is the heart of my father is new york city and i think he felt very -- you know concerned about that, and -- and i think he felt a little bit about the way ann -- the caller felt too, is we had been an arrogant nation for a long time and it was a sign that we are not invincible. that there are people who don't like us for good reason because our policies for a long time had

been very nasty to a lot of brown people in the world. >> anyone who said what you just said after 9/11 -- >> oh, was a traitor. and my dad was getting ready to do his next hbo show -- >> john: i think it was all diseased -- >> yes. >> john: i have a bootleg of your dad working out that set from the comedy store and it had a very different title. >> yeah, the title was i kind of like it when a whole bunch of people buy. this is my dad during his angry period, so literally the day after 9/11 he calls hbo, and he said don't worry we're changing the title. and he did the show i think

three weeks after 9/11 in the becan theater. >> john: he did. and he talked about even though he didn't like him he was going to try to help do his part to bring america together, and support president bush -- although he would only call him governor bush -- >> yes, because he was never actually elected president. but i was reading some stuff about how to bring america back together. and a gentlemen named palmer parker was talking about the importance of honoring our 9/11 heart. there was that period for a while where there was such compassion love and empathy for the whole world, and americans for each other again, and there is something about that space where if you allow

some vulnerability in, we could actually sit down and talk to each other again and not have this -- oh this vitrial -- i got a lot of trolls last week. i'm so excited. >> john: it's not cowardly at all to post right-wing hate and hide behind a -- >> it's great when they use my dads face. >> john: how manly of the trolls. >> i know. but on day like today we can remember this is bigger than all of us. this wasn't just about right, left, america, asia whatever. this is what humans are doing to each other in this century.

>> john: and we get the choice every hour of every day, and what are we choosing. it is possible to disagree with people, but not wish harmon them. >> and also when people say stuff that strikes you as out of bounds or whatever right after a tragedy like that. if someone says something like -- you know, but america played a part in this or if like -- there was that whole thing with the dixie chicks or whatever, it's like you have to be tolerant. you can totally disagree with people saying stuff, but you have to be tolerant too them saying it. >> john: but the dixie chicks going overseas and criticizing the president was treason, mitt romney doing it, that was

patriotic and pro growth. we have been pretty light on mitt romney today. maybe we can bash him a little bit. [ laughter ] >> john: i want to keep our eyes on the moral prize. it's the "stephanie miller show." i'm john fugelsang. we'll be right back. >> oh, come on you got to admit this is cool! >> announcer: it's the "stephanie miller show."

sir... excuse me, excuse me... can i get you to sign off on the johnson case... ♪ we built this city! ♪ don't let food hang around. ♪ on rock & roll! ♪ [ orbit trumpet plays ] clean it up with orbit! [ ding! ] fabulous! for a good clean feeling... eat. drink. chew orbit. >>i jump out of my skin at people when i'm upset. they're doing this this corruption based on corruption based on corruption. >>that's an understatement, eliot.

♪ >> john: this is the "stephanie

miller show." i'm john fugelsang, filling in for steph all week long. if this sounds like very old-timy music, it ain't. it is being released today by an artist who had an album come out on september 11th, 2001. this is by bob dillon. it is the funniest most violent video of the year. at 71 years old, bob dillon is playing guitar and piano, and producing his own album. he makes me proud to be an american. >> and it sounds like he has gone electric. [ laughter ] >> john: yeah, it's -- it's -- >> actually though you know if

you want that martin movie as a performer, one of the things -- just the courage of playing that electric music every night and people hating it, and him just sticking with it -- >> john: every night. >> yeah just amazing. >> john: levon hail quit the band because he couldn't stand though boos every night. and bob dillon is an artist who just has never cared what anyone thinks. he is a shape shifter. he is not going to be the same guy from year to year, but bob dylan and your dad with the two artists you have ever seen. i never saw a musical artist more than dillon and both sighs

are always completely unafraid of having tons of walks out in the first hour. and the first time i took my girlfriend i said watch how many people walk out in the first hour. because you get these white-haired people and i saw him on hbo, he is going to do the dirty words you can't say on television. and people would just walk out. with both your dad and bob dylan, by the end the crowd was on their feet, and they made it a small room. >> and you know who your audience is then. that's what i'm starting to learn is you can't please everyone and you have to find

your voice, and your audience will follow you and find you. and then it is really your audience. and you are not pretending will they stay with me. it used to break my heart a little bit. and my dad did knot like some of those people in the audience. >> john: yeah. >> but he played vegas for years -- >> he did, and even got fired late in the game -- he got fired early in the game and fired again late in the game from mgm because he was doing auto asphyxiation jokes -- >> john: you mean auto erotics a fixation jokes. >> yes.

and he got one letter -- >> and he got very choked up about the joke. [ laughter ] >> john: taking old lady's pensions is the best pro growth. >> that's right. >> john: it's why your dad is my hero, and made me proud to be an american. we have gotten inquiries how can people hear your show? >> i'm on the first sunday of the month on raw dog at 7:00 pm eastern and then on carlin's corner, and that is 24/7 carlin. every imaginable oldies, bootlegs, all sorts of crazy things, and books too. >> john: amazing. i want to point out that governor jennifer grandholm's amazing show, "the war room," is now moving to 10:00 p.m.

i have nothing but love for president obama and michelle obama, but jennifer grandholm owned that convention. and we're doing a sexy liberal tour, and i'm doing a special show with hal sparks on the 6th of october and doing laughing liberally off broadway every monday. when is cinematic titanic playing next? >> we're playing in november. and we're on hooloo now. so check out what it is all about. >> john: all right. we're taking your calls, i promise when we come back for the "stephanie miller show." it's a great day to be a american, a great day to be alive. this is the "stephanie miller show," this week with 100% less

stephanie miller. [♪ theme music ♪] >> john: this is "talking liberally," the "stephanie miller show" on current tv, the only tv station that matters. i'm john fugelsang filling in for stephanie all week long and it's really an honor to be filling in for her show on 9/11. for all of the sorrow we feel, i got to say it's the amazing patriotism, and the people who watch current tv you are proud

to make me an american. and we can be proud to live in a country that canceled jersey shore last week. >> really that happened? >> john: it happened kelly. >> we are moving forward as a nation. >> john: you got to believe. hope and change. hope and change. the only bad part is every character has seven spinoffs. but right now let's get some real news from jacki schechner, who also makes me proud to be an american. >> i'm going to go on record saying i have watched jersey shore. the chicago teacher's strike continues today. they are arguing over proposed education reforms, and while the

white house is trying to stay neutral and out of the dispute simply urging the two sides to come to a quicker resolution emmanuel wants more evaluation. teachers are arguing it is very hard to do so when kids come to school hungry from poor neighborhoods. the pizza parlor owner who gave president obama a well-pub sized bear hug is getting no love on or off line. the owner gave on-lookers a chuckle as we picked up the president in this photo. he is a republican who voted for president obama, and he said now, people are boycotting his restaurant. and he is also getting one-star

reviews on yelp. we're back after the break. um, miss ? you have hard water stains and that cleaner's not gonna cut it. you need lime-a-way. it's 4 times more effective at removing limescale than the leading bathroom cleaner. lime-a-way is specially formulated to conquer hard water stains. for lime, calcium and rust... lime-a-way is a must.

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go time! [ ♪ theme music ♪ ] >> announcer: ladies and gentlemen, it's the "stephanie miller show"! ♪ i'm walking on sunshine woe ho ♪ ♪ i'm walking on sunshine woe ho ♪ ♪ it's time to feel good hey all right now ♪ ♪ it's time to feel good ♪ >> john: this is the "stephanie miller show"! i'm john fugelsang, broadcasting lye on your radio, computer, and current tv where we're talking liberally. i'm talking to two of my favorite human. john conniff and kelly carlin.

>> great to be here. >> very nice to be here. >> john: shall we talk to some of the steph heads already. >> yes, please. >> john: my god joyce in los angeles you have been on hold for a long time i'm guessing you are a huge fan of mitt romney and paul ryan am i right? >> caller: my god, no. i have had the misfortune of watching them on the stump. these are not stupid men, and it seems like they are doing everything in their power to make us think they are really silly and stupid and don't have it all together -- >> john: they are trying to appear silly and stupid -- >> caller: well, they are stilly and stupid. and some of the things that have

come out this week are just insane. >> john: specifically? >> caller: i believe everything they say they are going to do they are going to pull the safety net out from under the seniors. i am a senior. my only saving grace is i'm a veteran, so there's not much they can do with my health care unless they completely destroy the va system. i don't want the white house to be sucked. i don't want people to start thinking, they are not so bad. because they really are going to do these horrible things. i don't want to say playing stupid, because like we said they really are stilly folks and the people buying into them and voting for them -- i just

don't get it. i don't understand. i'm not going to go with the racial thing but i don't understand why my minority would vote for them. >> john: speaking as a catholic joyce, there are lots of self loathing people out there. [ laughter ] >> john: but thank you for the call. but i no so many conservatives who just can't stand mitt romney, and they don't know what they are going to do. >> yeah. >> paul ryan was supposed to placate all of those people. but he has pandered and backtracked on his previous lies with new lies -- >> john: uh-huh. >> so it just seems -- i say this with -- i say with great hope that it seems their campaign is big disaster.

>> john: according to the polls the president is looking better and better. >> i just hope people don't get too come complaisant about it. >> john: we can talk all day about how it may be eight states deciding this whole thing, but state and local elections matter even more than the white house in 2012. and if you sit at home because you think obama is ahead, you are port of the problem. >> this is not just about the next four years and who is going to be president. this is about who is going to be appointing the next two supreme court. >> john: thank you. ruth ginsberg is 131 years old -- >> but she doesn't look a day

over 35. >> john: that's right. even if you are a republican you just show up and vote on the first wednesday of november all right? [ laughter ] >> john: let's go to paul in nevada. good morning, you are on the "stephanie miller show." >> caller: good morning, john, frank, and it's a real pleasure to talk to you, kelly. i loved your father i thought he was acutely cognizant and was not fooled by the smoke and mirrors. >> john: and neither are the listeners to "stephanie miller show." >> he had an experience with coke and mirrors, but -- [ laughter ] >> caller: that was a good one. >> well done frank. >> caller: the quip of romney having his birther joke there

were nuns in the background that were having a huge laugh on that. >> john: as a child of a former nun i was embarrassed by that. >> caller: yeah. and i originally am from washington, d.c., and i sew george carlin at the constitution hall, it was one of the best moments of my life, because i loved george carlin i always thought he spoke the truth of power, and i also worked on the pentagon and i know how many security questions are on the roof, and i have a lot of questions about 9/11. >> john: uh-huh. >> the fact that they only had that millisecond of a clip -- i know there are cameras all over that building. >> john: yes, but i don't want to engage in that kind of conjecture today on this show -- i'm not satisfied with

the results of the 9/11 commission, i think the very fact that bush and cheney refused to put their hands on a bible and swear the truth -- but on a day like today, i prefer to stay away from that. >> caller: i understand. but i'm curious why we don't know about the energy meetings that cheney had with all of the oil executives. >> john: are you really curious. i think iraq was a big pizza and cheney gave out the slices before the box arrived at the house. that's what i think. i think all of those guys -- i think it was divvied up before we had a boot on the ground. >> then where is my oil? >> john: we have had two wars to keep gas prices low. >> yeah doesn't work. hum.

>> john: i appreciate the call. >> caller: thank you. carry on. i love you guys. >> john: you too. jim is calling us from jersey. frank is not allowed to head a sub scout pack. [ laughter ] >> john: jim in jersey thanks for calling. >> caller: hello it is a special day, and no matter your position on the war, 9/11 anybody who refuses to acknowledge the troops that we still have in afghanistan on the one chance he gets to speak to the whole nation doesn't deserve to be president -- >> john: you are talk about governor romney? >> caller: yeah, i just think it goes to the core of the person. what kind of person tries to lead a nation, and when we our sons and daughters overseas at war, and doesn't even mention

it. and he said that, oh well i addressed that issue during the bfw the day before, but there was investigation into that, and it turns out that he made a vague reference to that subject. in fact i think it literally amounted to two sentences, and they were quite vague. i'm just shocked just -- just that people -- people just don't -- don't fully appreciate that this man wants to lead our nation and he doesn't mention it, and then he lies about what he said, and you have o'reilly and hannity refusing to add the tribute to the troops. o'reilly cut to an imfoe mesh shall on his book. it's true. >> john: we're just laughing because we're tired of crying about it. >> you are talking about his book killing lincoln, how the

worst republican got what he deserves. [ laughter ] >> john: you are from jersey you must be a huge fan of chris christie. >> caller: well look. he will fade out like the rest of them. thank you for taking my call. >> john: thank you, jim. with all due respect to chris christie he is doing a good job of self imploding in 2016. >> i just hope a plane doesn't fly into him. >> john: stop it! >> i laughed a little bit. >> john: no, you don't. >> okay. no, i didn't. but what is amazing to me is to think about how the narrative has shifted. the democrats now talk about the military, honors the troops killed osama bin laden, and the republicans don't have that part of their narrative anymore. >> john: i talked about this on

governor eliot spitzer's show last friday. the democrats are saying 29 months of private sector job growth, they are taking back family values, they are the ones putting a republican healthcare plan into place that makes you be responsible -- they are taking everything away from the republicans. and i saw this under bill clinton, the more he adopted conservative ideas the more the conservatives hated them. >> yeah the whole country has shifted to the right. i was talking to john dean -- >> john: the one guy from nixon's administration who learned something. >> yeah, and actually took responsibility for what he did -- >> that's when people had consequences that doesn't happen anymore. >> yeah, he talked about this

enormous shift and how goldwater would not even be considered anything the republicans would talk to anymore. >> john: yeah, and he was saying gay troops only have to shoot straight, and this week, you know what makes me proud to be an american it is the one year repeal of don't ask don't tell. >> oh, yeah. >> john: because in spite everything the republicans have told us, our troops are not all adorning their tents are tassels. >> the accusation that mitt romney is out of touch really comes into focus when you talk about him not mentioning afghanistan -- not mentioning our troops in the convention speech, because not only is he out of touch with america, he is out of touch with what his own party is supposed to be. i think anyone with common sense would just think, hey, shouldn't we be talking about our troops

in this speech? >> yeah. >> the fact that he would overlook that is really indicative of just -- that he just doesn't seem connected with reality. >> john: barack obama in 2008 called afghanistan the forgotten war, and in 2012 republicans have proven that amnesia is an air-born virus. i'm john fugelsang, we're glad to be spending this day with you. >> my opinion is you are nuts. >> announcer: it's the "stephanie miller show." ♪

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m0 you've heard stephanie's views. >>no bs, authentic, the real thing. >>now, let's hear yours at the only online forum with a direct line to stephanie miller. >>the only thing that can save america now: current television. >>join the debate now. ♪

>> john: wait for it. wait for it. ♪ ♪ i light a candle our love ♪ >> john: this is paul mccartney with pipes of peace, one of the best songs of the '80s and one of the best videos ever made. today' we are trying to play more positive stuff from our musical heros. and paul, i know you are listening, you have to start playing this one live. i'm john fugelsang. you're listening to the "stephanie miller show" "stephanie miller show." it's great to spend this day with you guys. >> thanks for having us. >> thank for having us. >> john: can i read you a little bit of a better i just got.

september 11th is a important day to me. it was the day i became interested in politics. i felt it was irresponsible of me now not to be paying at attention to the world around me. i decided on that day why we were attacked. my father instilled an important sense of civic duty in me and now it was important to take it to the next level. i think that's really inspiring -- >> that's a positive outcome. >> john: the more aware you can be, the better you are, and the better of patriot you can be. >> and i think 9/11. like this person who vote this it showed people i live in this world. what happens in the world affects me and i should be engaged in it. because americans have a tendency to be so out of touch with anything beyond our little -- >> starbucks.

>> starbucks and whatever pop culture thing -- >> honey boo boo. >> oh! >> and something like 9/11 if anything positive can come out of it, it's that people are like, wait a minute i need to be engaged. >> john: i think you are right, it's easy to be cynical, and now we're all hating each other and back to watching the kardashians. >> some of us are. >> john: some of us are, and a lot of us use 9/11 to become more compassionate. i'm patriotic over the fact 100 million americans say we don't want to go into war with iraq over what happened and the audis attacked us. >> and you mentioned the public was against the war way before

the media was. who was the congressman who came out against -- he was a military guy -- >> john: max -- >> john mertha. >> john: oh, yeah. >> it was only when he came out against the war that the tide turned -- >> john: and he was a very conservative democrat. >> and he was known as a military guy. and when he came out against the war, that suddenly opened it up and then pelosi and reid and all of these people could start to talk honestly about it. and the media people who were still afraid to criticize it all, he was the one that really got it going. but the public was against it way before that. >> john: a third of us were. and you are right and i have always wondered why more of our conservative friends were

opposed to cutting taxes against the wealthiest americans, while having two wars -- and there you go blaming bush again! i blame stallone for rocky v! >> and if stallone is listening, i just wanted to say the '80s called and want to know how it is possible for a decade to make a phone call. [ laughter ] >> john: let's go to july. you are on the "stephanie miller show." >> caller: good morning to you all. there is a quote from benjamin franklin those who sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither. >> john: uh-huh. >> caller: and the first country that offered to help after 9/11 was iran. >> john: that's true.

>> caller: nobody is talking about that. and if you google 9/11 a lot of things pop up. the cornerstone for the pentagon was placed in -- on 9/11. >> john: uh-huh. >> caller: and it's amazing what pops up regarding that particular date. >> john: yes. >> caller: in different years. >> john: that's true. >> caller: and i really want people to remember not only what happened on 9/11, and how we came together, but that the first person that was killed in the united states as a hate crime after 9/11 was a sikh man -- >> john: that's right. july i'm sorry we have to go to break. but i appreciate the call.

we'll be right back on the "stephanie miller show." ♪ (vo) this is joy on current tv. >>if mitt romney treats his magic underwear the same way as his tax returns, then he's been going commando for the past 10 years. >>since when do you get to say stuff like that on tv? >> listen, if you'd read your email once in a while, you'd know i have a new show. (vo) always outspoken. >> sometimes i feel like i don't even know you. >> just stay on your side of the screen, ok?

[ ♪ music ♪ ] >> john: only the good stuff today. we'll get back to the goofy mash ups tomorrow. this is george harrison who died about a month after 9/11. "give me love give me peace on earth," one of his best songs ever. >> he was a talented person. >> john: he certainly was. i love him so much. and [ inaudible ] not just because i'm in it for five seconds. >> yes. [ laughter ] >> john: this is john fugelsang

filling in for stephanie miller. and joining us via phone, friend of the show, the power and the wonder, that is tina dupuis. greetings from new york tina. >> hi, john how are you? >> john: great. good to have you back. how are you? >> i'm recovering. >> john: from the convention coverage? >> yes. >> john: i want to get your take on them, but first i want to ask you about the new site you are working on. >> it's -- we're still in beta it's the contributor.com, and right now we have a network of over 100 blogs that we pull from. we're doing this pretty radical thing calls paying bloggers.

>> john: paying bloggers? >> that's communist! >> we share ad revenue with these people called bloggers. >> nice. >> so your last name isn't huffington? >> john: stop it! [ laughter ] >> john: congratulations how is it going so far? because we all love crooks and liars. >> yes, this is a really fantastic experience. but crooks and liars had been there for seven years, and this is something completely new and we're building it from the ground up, and it's really, really exciting so the contributor.com. >> john: fantastic. i look forward it to. so are you still trying to get over the overwhelming violent

torpedo of truth that was paul ryan's speech? >> it was actually chris christie's speech talking about himself. >> john: i felt bad with chris christie because my drinking game word was mitt romney. >> and you are sober. >> it also brought up the philosophical question of should a man yell pizza in a place where chris christie was speaking. >> oh, yeah, the fat jokes. i actually drove through caramel yesterday. >> nice where clint eastwood was the mayor for a couple of seconds, and i was expecting to find a bunch of empty chairs.

>> john: i have been defending clint eastwood for two weeks. tina do you think it's a good time for democrats to get come playant? >> i love that they are standing up for themselves. there were moments -- but for the most part in aggregate they were standing up for progressive values and what obama has done in office. i thought that john kerry actually gave probably the most surprising speech. i thought he redeemed himself as a lawmaker. he was just throwing outlines. i was expecting him to start

doing yo-mamma jokes. [ laughter ] >> but when he said talk about being before -- before you were against it. i was like, oh my god. he just -- he came back. to me -- of course it was definitely an audition for secretary of state, but he really came back from, you know, this kind of -- this 2004 election, which we're all kind of still grieving for and he really threw it down. >> john: yeah sometimes i wonder if john kerry dodged a bullet by not inheriting that bush deficit in 2004. >> yeah he might have won. >> john: yes, thank you ohio. i thought there were so many great speeches from tammy duck worth, ted strickland

mrs. obama and i can't stop talking about jennifer grandholm -- >> thank you. john i was -- i was in the hall for that and i was like what just happened? i have seen her show. i was like oh yeah, jennifer grandholm. and i was like what just happened? >> john: yep. >> and she was sitting on the stairs -- >> john: we covered that on current tv. and i said to vice president gore can you imagine governor palin ever sitting on the steps -- >> i was like what do you have to do to get a seat in this convention hall? >> john: exactly. >> and then someone was like go talk to her, and i'm like i'm not giving up my seat someone will take it. >> john: that's right. i think a lot of democrats are very disoriented because they have never seen their party play offense like they are doing in

2012. >> right. what i saw, and what we have seen from the republicans is what the democrats used to do. like they -- everyone through akin under the bus very quickly, like we don't agree with him. he said what we all believe, but we don't all agree with him. >> john: i don't think they all agree with him on rape and that a woman's body could shut it down. >> no, but it is part of their platform that abortion should be illegal in all instances. >> john: according to the gallup poll last may, only 20% of americans believe there should be no abortion ever. kelly were you surprised to see governor romney actually not pander to his party and say he

supports access to reproductive rights to rape victims. >> oh, god? >> john: were you surprised tina. >> whatever he says i'm never surprised. because he will say the exact opposite ten minutes later. can i sigh any bigger right now. >> john: i was surprised to see him bucking his own party, though. >> but then he went back on it. >> he always goes back. >> it was a sunday where he came out for covering preexisting conditions and then seconds later his -- his campaign came out and said no not really. >> the fact that he said that on meet the press i think is indicative of the fact that they must be looking at figures that are telling them people like obamacare. their whole strategy before was to demonize it and they were assuming it would be a good

issue for them, no it's a good issue for the democrats. >> john: yeah i was distracted during the interview, because david was actually giving governor romney a pedicure. [ laughter ] >> that was a pedicure? >> john: that's what you call it these days. >> david gregory did stand up and the reason he wasn't good and when he would do crowd wrap and say where are you from? and he would never have a follow-up. [ laughter ] >> john: tina what is your prediction for the up coming campaign? both candidates have suspended negative ads for today which is lovely. >> we have 24 hours of peace. yeah, no i think it's going to get ugly but i think the campaign bounce back for the

democrats is actually -- some of it is going to stick. i think the more you know romney, the less you like him. the states where he was governor and where his father was governor, those states are not going to go for romney. and as soon as we learn more about him, and his wish washiness on every single issue possible, there are going to be -- even the stanchest republicans who hate obama are going to have to hold their nose, which is not going to win the election for romney. >> john: what advice would you give to progressives who are down on obama still. maybe they don't like that he continued the bush tax cuts even though we understand that was a compromise he made i have friends who are just not going to vote that day, which i think is crazy -- not voting or

even -- god bless the green party, a vote for the green party is a vote for mitt romney. what would you say for those who are down on this president for not giving them a unicorn. >> a democracy is not always getting what you want. if you are 100% happy that is not democracy. so if you want to be in a democracy, you have to a, vote and b, be relatively unhappy with who you vote for. >> that's well put. >> john: that's really beautiful in a completedly grim depressing way. >> no, but it is true. >> i think the steaks are really high, and people who consider themselves liberal or progressive, who don't vote for obama it's incredibly

irresponsible, i think. >> john: i think people consider themselves sane who don't vote for obama. i hear all of the arguments. >> and i agree with a lot of them. there are a lot of things that he is not doing or has done that irritate me, but a lot of people are also hoping that if we don't vote for obama and the republicans get in then the system will really recrash. >> john: oh, that's cheery. >> that's what people thought in 2000 if bush gets elected -- and as we said before bush did make obama possible but at what an incredible price. >> yeah. >> thousands and thousands of people -- >> john: if 90,000 voters in florida had voted for gore we would not be in iraq. >> and you can't crush and burn the system.

democracy is a difficult thing. >> john: exactly. tina when will the site be up? >> they can check us out now contributor.com. >> john: thank you so much for calling us. >> thanks, john. >> john: thank you. and when we come back on the "stephanie miller show" a poll that will blow your mind about how some ohio conservatives give credit for bin laden's death to mitt romney. >> it's the place where dreams come true. >> announcer: it's the "stephanie miller show." ♪ in romney's world, cars get the elevator, and the workers get the shaft! (vo) want more granholm? get her every night.

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[ train whistle blows ] [ ball hitting paddle ] [ orbit girl ] don't let food hang around. yeah! [ orbit trumpet ] clean it up with orbit! [ orbit glint ] fabulous! for a good clean feeling. ♪ eat, drink, chew orbit! ♪ >>i jump out of my skin at people when i'm upset. they're doing this this corruption based on corruption based on corruption. >>that's an understatement, eliot. [ ♪ music ♪ ]

♪ going to knock you right on the head ♪ ♪ you better get yourself together ♪ ♪ pretty soon you're going to be dead ♪ >> john: we began the show with u-2's cover of this song and end it with john lennon. just one of the best damn songs ever recorded. this is the "stephanie miller show." you have been listening to us all morning. i'm john fugelsang filling in for stephanie miller. we're going to try to take a few more calls, but first. "the war room" with jennifer grandholm is an excellent show you should be dvr-ing all the time if you care about freedom and your children. it is now going to be on at 10:00 p.m.

you have to see what that woman does for an hour everyevery -- night on current tv. i'm going to be performing in the sexy liberal show with stephanie miller and i'll be doing laughing liberally on select monday nights because of broadway in new york. frank where can people see you. >> they can see me own hulu we have ten episodes there, and i'm going to be doing a live show in new york, a live -- live tweet of the debate -- of all of them but the first one is going to be on october 3rd? new york at the 92nd street y. i say 92nd street why not?

[ laughter ] >> john: i was going to do that show with you, but i'm now going to be working for current tv. kelly. >> next week i'll be in toronto, and you can always mind me every thursday at awaking from the american dream on podcast, and then the first sunday of the month on the sirius xm raw dog. >> john: linda welcome. >> caller: great show and i have had a lot of time to think about my point. and after 11 years it makes me think about instead of going shopping, like george bush told us all to do that what we really need to do is put our

conscience -- every american conscience to the test and vote our conscience and -- for me that's a vote for president obama. thank you. >> john: thank you so much for the call. shawn you are calling from pennsylvania. i can give you ten seconds. >> caller: the day after 9/11 we came together as a country, god forbid we get attacked again. >> john: i believe if the got attacked, even the right-wing would rally around this president. >> i don't think so. >> john: at first i think they would. and i think that if the right-wing leaders wouldn't, the right-wing followers would force them to. fita in detroit, you are on with kelly carlin. >> caller: hi, i feel happy to call governor w, governor w

forever. [ laughter ] >> caller: but i did appreciate that he asked americans not to hate muslims. >> john: yes, he did. he said it is not a war with islam. >> exactly. >> john: okay. i promised you something funny. this is on the raw story -- let me get good music -- apparently more people from ohio think that mitt romney is more responsible for the death of bin laden than president obama. 15% said romney was more responsible, 51% said they were not sure only 34% of very conservative voters in ohio said barack obama -- >> what did they imagine that romney did? he is a private citizen?

>> i think bain capitol took over the navy seals and laid them all off. [ laughter ] >> john: bain actually bought al-qaeda. >> oh, yes. >> john: overall 63% of those questions said obama was more responsible -- >> but more responsible. >> john: 30% said they were not sure overall of this poll. and this is public policying polling. >> these are the people who don't know -- >> john: 6% said romney was more responsible. >> i want to talk to these people. call in people. >> john: you don't want to talk to these people. >> i do. [ laughter ] >> john: and if you get hateful tweeters don't get caught in a tweet war. i'm going to say this now,

because there are a lot of great progressives. if you are going to fight hate don't be upset if a little bit sticks to you, just wash it off. i want to thank all of the callers. i'm john fugelsang. i'll be back again tomorrow. i thank for all of today's callers, including tina dupuis and rick ungar. this is john lennon singing "imagine." i wish you a beautiful, beautiful september 11th out there, do what you have got to